Remember when "craft beer" was the big thing? Now it is "Bourbon Whiskey" and as the Brewmaster, I make Bourbon Whiskey too.
First off, I remind you not to violate the law. Making Bourbon Whiskey from corn and barley could get you in trouble with the law. Watching Moonshine on TV is OK, but don't do it unless you are licensed by the government. Here is how you can make Bourbon Whiskey at home legally. Further, don't call it Bourbon either. That name is taken and copy righted. Just call it "home made whiskey".
If you start with Vodka that you purchased at the store, you will be OK. The next step is to turn it into Whiskey. If you did not know it or not, the distilled moonshine that goes into the Oak barrels is "clear". It gets its color from the charred Oak wood that the barrel is made from. It also gets most of its flavor from that same barrel, not the moonshine that went into it. Bourbon Whiskey makers normally start with moonshine that is about 140 or 150 proof. That saves space in the barrels and the more concentrated alcohol extracts flavors from the Oak barrel better, but you can still get good results with Vodka.
Start with a two quart mason canning jar and add a 150ml bottle of cheap vodka. To that you need to add some toasted Oak chunks of wood. This can be done by putting small chips of "White Oak" wood on a cookie sheet and toasting it in your oven. Make sure your wood is "White Oak", not common Red Oak. Once you have some experience, you can try other types of wood, like the pellets that they sell for your backyard smoker. Put your toasted wood chips into the mason jar and let it soak for a few weeks on one of your back shelves. What you will notice is that the vodka will start to take on a brown or amber color like Bourbon Whiskey has.
After a month or so, you can add a few drops of Vanilla to give it a little more flavor. You should not actually be able to taste the Vanilla. Next, add about a tea spoon of real Maple Syrup. It also adds a little of that extra flavor. Now the final thing. Go to your pharmacy and get a small bottle of pure Glycerin. That's right Glycerin. The Glycerin is tasteless, but it smooths the Bourbon Whiskey by tieing up some of the bitter flavors so that you can not taste them.
Now, you can serve your friends your own homemade Bourbon Whiskey and see what they think. You can do all this without being concerned about breaking the law too. Note that your Bourbon will end up at the same proof of the Vodka that you used in the first place. Most Bourbon Whiskey is 80 proof so yours will be the same.
PS--You could also try some liquid smoke too. Be cautious and try different brands.
